Banjo



Aug. 5 1924. 1,504,059

' v. KRASKE BANJO Filed Oct. 8, 192i :f IIIIIIIIHII lllllll mmm Patented Aug. 5, 1924.

' UNITED STATES VICTOR KRASKE, 0F KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN.

BANJO.

Application filed October 8, 1921.

T0 all w71 om t may concern:

Be it known that 1, VICTOR KRAsKE, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Kalamazoo, county of Kalamazoo, and State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Banjos, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to musical instruments of the general character of banjos and more particularly to banjos of the type represented by the drawings.

The main objects of this invention are to provide an improved construction for the banjo as a whole, and more particularly to provide an improved form of means for tensioning the head of the instrument; to provide amplifying means of the nature of a resonator disposed in front of the brace bar and back of the head in spaced relation to the latter and with an air chamber interposed; to provide an improved form of seat or bearing ring fo-r the calfskin head; to provide an improved form of connection for the rim and neck of the banjo; to provide an improved form of brace bar connection with radially adjustable compression means thereon to set the neck member and especially the heel part tightly against the rim; to provide an improved form of tension means connection at the heel of the neck member; to provide means for reinforcing and supporting the fingerboard extension which projects over the face of the head; to provide a banjo adapted for a wide range of musical effects and especially adapted for jazz music.

An illustrative embodiment of this invention is shown in the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a plan of the instrument lying with its face side up.

Figure 2 is afront elevation of said instrument showing an edgewise view.

Figure 3 is a greatly enlarged section on the line 3 3 of the Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a slightly enlarged view of the back side of the head.

Figure 5 is a face view of the bearing plate of the cam lock for the brace bar.

In the construction shown in the drawings the instrument includes a drumhead 1 stretched on the rim 2 which is secured to a neck member 3 in substantially the same general relation as usual in such devices, though the structural detailsin many respects are novel, and the connecting means Serial No. 506,394.

embody important features of improvement.

Referring to Figure 3, the rim 2 is of nearly cylindrical shape. Gn its front edge is provided a Celluloid bearing band a of substantially flat shape whereon tlieskin of the head 1 rests, with a lengthwise bend to fitthe. rounded corner of said rim. This band is formed with the grain disposed lengthwise or circumferentially and is adapted to provide a smooth and secure bearing surface which will not cut or injure the head. This is regarded as an important feature.

Adjacent to the fiat band 4 and disposed outwardly and embracing the front edge of rim 2 is a straining hoop 5 having an angular cross section. This hoop is made of metal and is provided with a corner groove 6 to receive the flesh wire 7 about which the edge 1 of the head skin is folded. One side of said hoop is cylindrical, as shown at 5', and fits snugly against the backwardly turned part of the head and the other part 5l extends outwardly in a plane at a right angle to part 5 to receive the tension bolts 8 which serve to pull the hoop 5 rearwardly toward the tension ring 9 adjacent to the opposite edge of the rim 2. Said ring 9 is rigid with said rim 2.

In order to amplify the sound and give the required character thereto in accordance with specific requirements desired, a resonator in the form of a wooden partition or diaphragm 10 is provided in front of the brace bar 18 and back of the drum head 1 with an amplifying chamber 11 intervening. Said resonator may be made of wood to produce soft sounds and of metal to produce the harder sounds, and is provided with a sound hole 12 preferably located one third across from the outer edge. The rim 2 is provided on its inner side with an annular shoulder 13 facing toward the front whereon said resonator is seated, the latter being secured in place by a resilient expansion ring or locking hoop 14 which may be secured in any desired manner as by wood screws 15.

The neck 3 is rigidly secured detachably to the rim 2 as will be described. Said neck is thickened adjacent to the rim as shown at 16 to provide a shoulder-like bean ing or heel Awhich fits against and entirely across the outer side of rim 2. Said neck is somewhat fork-shaped at this pointanoA is provided with a fingerboard extension llO which projects over the drum-head as shown at 17, and with a brac" bar 18 or taper post as it is sometimes called which projects through a perforation 19 in rim 2 and ei;- tends diametrically across the rim back et' the resonator 10. The t-ip of said brace bar lits snugly in an aperture 2O in the opposite tace of rim 2 whereby the brace bar may bc effective to rigidly support: rim.

1n order to provide Jfor ready asseinb and taking apart of the rim and nec if., manual lock is provided at the inner er d ot bar 18. For this purpose the bar 18 is provided with a longitudinal slot 21 wherein is mounted a cam disk 22 arranged to react forcibly against the inner tace oll rim 2. Said cam disk is mounted on a pivot 23 in bar 18, and a metal bearing plate 24: is provided to tit against said rim, said plate comprising a shank 24 to lit in said slot 21, and a head 24 having shoulders 21 to seat against the outer tace ot said bar. Said plate is removable to permit withdrawal ot the bar 18 for removal oi the neck 3. Said cam disk is provided with radial holes 25 to receive a wrench or key, not shown. Then the cam is turned in one direction it bears wedgingly against the plate 24 and so forces the brace bar inwardly and locks the same rigidly in place.

1n order to offset the pull of the strings 27, a tension rod 28 is provided as shown in Figure 3, which rod because otits function, l call a coordinator. The inner end of said rod is threaded to tit a nut 29, which set rigidly and permanently in the base ot neck 3. Said rod 28 also passes through the hole 24x in plate 24 which is clamped by a nut 30, and the opposite end et said rod is also provided with nuts 31 and 32 which clamp against the inner and outer side respectively ot rim 2, The nut 29 has a tubular projection 29 which is enclosed in a wooden sleeve or bushing 26. Said nut and bushing ht snugly in the hole 16 heel 16 where they are set in glue or cement.

The heel of the neck 3 is apertured ai cl formed to accommodate. the necessary adjusting movement of the straining hoop as shown at 33. The flange 5 at this peint is narrowed somewhat so as to mi the size of aperture in neck 3. Voeover the cylindrical part 5 oit the stre'tc ,is apertured at its eut-er edge as shoun in registry with the overlap ing projection 17 of the fingerboad so to vide a sufficient range of adjustment or" be il 5 without making the fingerboard lnstensi i too thin or weak.

Another feature of this invention is tl built-up or reinforced construction et th fingerboard extension 17. rlhe linger board is faced with a veneer strip 36 ot ebony or the like which extends continuously e end to end, whereon the 'frets 3'? a n d mounted. The projecting part ot said strip S3 which extends over thdrum-head is supported on a reinforcing plate 38, the inner end of which is seated in an aperture 89 oi'l the neck base. Said plate is cemented both to the neck and to the i'irst suil'iportiug strip 36.

bridge 4t) is provided as usual Ator the strings 27 and rests against the drum-head l, to the erlae et the are attached. es -i-l are held in .pressioi b tween the drunrhead l and resonator 10 preferably adj-freut to the side et the riin 2 where secured to the neck base or heel 1G.

'lhe strings 27 are secured to the straining hoop 5 by means olf pins set in the flange 5 and pertorations 113 through the flange 5, said strings being wound once about their pins respectively and threaded through their holes 13, and then being knotas shown at 11H2. The tension bolts 8 are each provided with a head 8 to bear against the 'front tace ot' flange 5 and a nut 8 to bear against the ring shoulder 9. Said nuts may be operated partly with the thumb and linger, but for setting tightly a wrench, not shown, is used.

Although but one specilic embodiment of this inventioii has been herein shown and described it will be understood that numerous details of the construction shown may be altered or omitted without departing Afrom the spirit of this invention as defined by the following claims4 l claim:

1. In an instrument of the character described, a drumhead and rim, in combination with a resonator b ard disposed in said rim adjacent to but spaced somewhat from its trent edge, said rim having an annular shoulder against which said board is seated at its edge, a resilient expansion ring disposed against the outer tace oi said board opposite said shoulder to lock said board in place demountably and means to secure said ring in place.

fr stringed instrument or the character described comprising a drumhead, a rim whereon said drumhead is stretched, a lat* erally projecting neck member secured to said rim, said neck member having a brace bar unitary therewith, a resonator disk disposed in liront of said bar in spaced relation thereto, whereby said disk is 'tree to vibrate, strings tor vibrating said head, and bridge means disposed etfectiifely between said head and disk to transmit vibrations to the latter from said head.

3. An instrument of the character described comprising a drumhead, a rim therefor provided with means tor tensioning said drumhead and v' .'atile strings, said tensioning means including a straining hook of angular cross-section adapted to embrace the front edge of said rim With the edge of the drumhead interposed, and a plurality of tension bolts, said rim having a perforated tension ring of shouldered character rigid with the outer face thereof, the outstanding flange part of said hoop being disposed to- Ward the back and away from the front or drumhead side of said instrument and perforated in registry with perforations in said ring to receive said bolts, and said hoop having pins in its forwardly disposed cylindrical part to receive said strings.

4. In a banjo, a rim in combination with a neck having a brace bar extending through and across said rim in combination With a VICTOR KRASKE. 

